How much am I worth?

[videoguru]

I'm almost 20 yrs old and have been working for our church for 2 years doing video produciton. I'm in school and almost have my associate's degree in video production. At my church I AM the video department. I shoot anything we produce, edit it, and keep up with all the video equipment in our sound booth. I average much more than 40 hours ever week, have only asked off once that wasn't for school, and i get paid just over $7.20/hr as an hourly rate.

The idea of making me full-time/ salary w/o benefits has been floating around, possibly with the official title of Video director/manager. I want to come back strong with a good number. I've been doing the workload of a professional with the quality and am technically proficient for the position. What's a worthy number?

[tedanderson]

What's a worthy number?

Anywhere between $10 to $12 an hour is fair for someone your age and level of experience. It's pretty low generally but if you were working for me, I would have to start you there.

I average much more than 40 hours ever week, have only asked off once that wasn't for school

So exactly how many times do you take off in any given month for legitimate reasons? (e.g. for school or otherwise) That would be another contributing factor. Even though any good employer would want you to further your education, as an employer myself, it would be tough for me to pay you a higher wage if I can only count on you a few days out of the week...which is not a bad thing, but when it comes to the bottom line at the end of the month, I would have to determine if the salary justifies what I am able to get out of my employee.

I've been doing the workload of a professional with the quality and am technically proficient for the position.

This is a good quality to have. But other factors to consider include your level of responsibility, reliability, maturity level, ability to work with others, etc. which can only be determined by those who work directly with you.

I AM the video department.

If you said that to me in a job interview I would ask, "Where do you see yourself and this department in a year from now.. and 5 years from now?" (hint: the wrong answer is "Me being the video department")

The idea of making me full-time/ salary w/o benefits has been floating around, possibly with the official title of Video director/manager.

Also ask yourself if this is where you see yourself permanently, or if you plan on this being temporary until the department grows, or if you want the position because you really need the money. The more honest you are with yourself, the more likely you will be able to command a larger salary.

[greg4god]

This will vary depending on your location. If you are looking for this to be your full time career, the lack of benefits is something to consider. (ie. at your age and still in school you may be on your parent's heath insurance, or on a student health plan) Go investigate your own health insurance to get an idea. You may not need it so much now, but down the road it gets more and more valuable as a benefit (and more expensive as a buy it yourself).

There are resources online that may be able to guide you on generalized salary rates for professions. However, keep in mind some of these may be outdated, and with how bad the economy got in just 1 year period, a 1 year old site could be "outdated" compared to now.

Good luck, be sure to pray about it, not to get the best you can, but for God to guide both you and those in charge to make good solid Godly decisions to use the resources he gives us (both money and talent) where he sees best fit.

-Greg

[videoguru]

I never take off, during this summer was the first time i've ever "taken off" to study or do anything for school, but even then i just came in and pull an all-nighter to make up for it.

We run a come-in when you want, as long as you are here for meetings and get everything done on time.

I have plans written out for the advancement of our un-official video department for the next 5 years, and major goals i think we can/should reach. I've started a mentor program for interested high school students to work on professional equipment to give me an extra hand in productions so its not all me.

People constantly compliment me on my reliability and give me thank you cards for getting stuff done last minute, and my boss in my reviews always notes how i get stuff done on time, and a harder worker than anyone else on our team, and am growing fast to becoming a leader of the dept.

This is where I'd like to be permanently. My boss and church already know my passion to do this as a career while going on mission trips during the year with our chruch and producing content of those trips as well for my passion as a video missionary.

Also, the next pay level would be salary- so not an hourly rate, but yearly income. Does this input help? any new thoughts?

[Gracetech]

I think you should look more at what skill set is needed at the church and what the church would pay for a person with that skill set. Then come off of that number around 15% since you are still fresh to the scene. You will never get paid correct scale to the rest of the world when you are working in a church(unless you find the few churches that well compensate you). Usually you will be making around 50 to 60% of what you would in the secular world or atleast that has been my experience. I've even been offered 1/6th of what i use to make.

What you need to do is give them a reasonable offer that they can except or you will get a "No". There is no magical table that tells your church that you need to make this much so understand going in you will probably be lucky to make 22k.

Now i don't know your church so i'm just throwing stuff out there be plan for the worst and hope for the best. Let them know that you need "X" to cover your expenses and that if they could do "Y" you could start investing in the future. No matter what they do you should be able to talk them in to insurance and other benefits that the church participates in.

Good to have you in the Community and hope you can make a positive impact into the Kingdom.

crt

[cmchamp]

Prelude - I'm an educator (music-science) with 18 years of mixed experience in small rural, private, christian primary and secondary schools as well as some college level. I have 10 years + of running my own company selling product and producing audio/video recordings for local artist and colleges. I am also on the advisory board for an extremely successful local video/audio broadcast arts program that consistently wins both State and National recognition. Furthermore, I am highly respected as an FOH engineer in southern gospel music. That said. . . .

If you "Are" the video department at the community college you are attending, that to me sends up a bunch of red flags. If this is your only experience and only exposure, you skill set is extremely limited.

Have you taken the NOCTI test for your area of expertise? If you want to be a "professional" in the field, having a good test score on the NOCTI is a big help.

As for "salary," skill set aside, someone with their associates degree only may be lucky to get $20k +/- benefit package. As to your skills ability, if you're not constantly being assessed and crituqued by your peers, even when you think you're pushing yourself creatively, you wind up in a rut.

In 10 years, even though I'm self employed as an audio/video engineer, even on the hourly rate, I have never been able to ask for the "Market" rate because where I choose to live will not support it.

I have been asked to travel and be the sound engineer for some major southern gospel groups, however, they know (as we have negotiated) that my skill set and my needs cost too much.

C.

[videoguru]

Sorry for the confusion, I changed my question. I'm not the video department at my school but rather at my church. and that is what my Boss calls me, not my own words.

[tedanderson]

Does this input help? any new thoughts?

Shop yourself on the open market to see what other organizations are willing/able to pay you. And to piggyback on what Gracetech said about giving them an offer that they would accept, you also have to figure out your "walk away" price. e.g. "if they can't pay me at least $XX,000 a year, I'll go get a job in the union."

Also one thing that you need to make clear is whether your responsibility level will remain the same as a full time salaried employee. Sure, they are perfectly fine with you doing your work whenever you can get around to it just as long as they only have to pay you minimum wage. But once they start paying you the "real" money, will they still be OK with you taking a day or two off? Will it still be on a "come in when you want to" basis or will they be looking for you at 9AM sharp?

[Paris MkVI]

Remember to consider whether this is God's timing too. If you cannot come to an agreement, consider the possibility God is simply saying, "Not now."

Don't fret or worry, brother. He has you in the center of the palm of His hand.

I note your profile says you have a team of six. Is that still accurate? If so, you would become the actual servant leader of this ministry, as opposed to the de facto one.

These are the things I would be looking for. I share them in the spirit of helping you pray and prepare for this next part of your journey. Please do not think I am questioning your faith; I am not. These are simply the leadership characteristics I look for.

Technical Leadership Characteristics:

1.They need to be a committed Christian.
2.They need to have leadership gifts and abilities.
3.They need creative and technical skills to realize your ministries' tech potential.

They need to have these initial three qualities first and foremost. And in that order – committed Christian, leader, tech skills.

4.They need to understand praising publicly, critique privately – and constructively.
5.They need to value affirmation and appreciation.
6.They need to be willing to work with team members who may need extra grace.
7.They need to be an effective communicator.

I know this does not answer your original question; I cannot begin to presume to give useful guidance there. I do celebrate your energy, your zeal to serve the Lord! I pray that His plan will unfold for you in this part of the Journey, and you will clearly see Him actively manifesting His will in your life!

[Steven]

Originally Posted by Paris MkVI

Technical Leadership Characteristics:

1.They need to be a committed Christian.
2.They need to have leadership gifts and abilities.
3.They need creative and technical skills to realize your ministries' tech potential.

They need to have these initial three qualities first and foremost. And in that order – committed Christian, leader, tech skills.

This man speaks wisdom - listen to him.

As the church grows and the ministry develops, a technical leader will spend less and less time fulfilling the role of a technician or engineer, and will spend more time as a mentor, leader, and manager. Up front, in a small setting, technical expertise is the ticket, as that is the present greatest need; as time goes on and the ministry grows, leadership, managerial aptitude, and people skills are the key to success.

[tomtv]

what market do you live in? the size of your market and proximity to larger areas will be involved in determining the value of the position. it is only a factor but you will need to compare your situation to a like one in order to feel informed.

in my market churches pay as much or more than the local television stations or production companies. Alot of this depends on how much your church depends on the media aspect and where they are with budget.

many churches are going contract with local or internal volunteer media talent. This allows for you to have contractual control of the situation so you are not easily taken advantage of. we can all feel good but it is important that the church handles you as a professional at some level. the church expects professionalism but many times does not act professional.

just a few ideas...

[Ty Mc Naulty]

I realize that at 20-years old 2 years experience seems like a lot, but in the media, which I work in, that might get you an unpaid summer internship in a major market or an entry level position in a minor market. Plus, in the professional world, that's still entry level. You're not considered a pro until you've got ten years under your belt and a college degree, four year, not two, in something entertainment, business, legal or other specialty. You can bypass the degree requirement if you have ten years of experience under your belt, but getting that experience without the degree is hard. Competition is stiff.

If you're looking to take this the professional route, you'll need to eventually join the unions and start networking with people in your field. A lot of this will be apprentice work under an established expert. I would begin by contacting the film department at USC, speak to one of the professors and ask his/her advice. That's one of the top film schools in the world and they will speak with you if you make an honest professional effort. They also may be able to help you connect with alumni in your city. There is a strong need for video pros with MPEG knowledge. The way you get that is finish college and start working for a company like Hulu.

Sorry I can't be more encouraging but this is the toughest job market in 100 years and if you don't have the professional level experience with the maturity, there are ten people ahead of you that do. Use this time to build your portfolio, get experience, find a mentor and continue to pursue your passion. Then when the economy improves, you'll be in a good position to find the gig you want.